Zuma, who danced and sang his trademark "Bring me my machine gun"
anti-apartheid anthem, stressed the African National Congress was "not
yet celebrating victory", although with some 60 percent of votes
counted, it was set for a resounding win.
"This party is an elephant. You cannot actually topple an elephant,"
Zuma told a sea of cheering supporters clad in the party colours of
yellow, green and black at ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg on
Thursday.
The ANC had 67.06 percent, according to the latest results, hovering
around the two-thirds majority that allows it to change the
constitution — a scenario that has unnerved markets even though the
party has stressed it will not abuse the right.
"You don’t need two-thirds to govern a country. You need political will to do so," ANC spokeswoman Jessie Duarte said.
Zuma, a polygamist who taught himself to read, portrays himself as a
champion of the poor, and for many voters the ANC’s credentials from
the fight against white minority rule still outweigh its failure to
tackle crime, poverty and AIDS.
The ANC had faced a reinvigorated opposition which had hoped to at
least curb its majority to below two-thirds in Wednesday’s election,
compared with almost 70 percent in 2004.
But the Congress of the People (COPE) party, formed by ANC dissidents
with the aim of posing the first real challenge since the end of
apartheid in 1994, won 7.66 percent of votes counted.
The ANC’s closest rival was the Democratic Alliance — led by a white
woman — with 15.82 percent. The DA pulled ahead of the ANC in the
Western Cape province — South Africa’s premier tourist destination,
which is currently controlled by the ANC.
"We’ve got to realign politics in South Africa and that’s what I’m
going to spend the next five years doing," DA leader Helen Zille said.
ZUMA VICTORY
The final result is not expected before later on Friday but there is
little doubt the 67-year-old Zuma will become president only three
weeks after managing to get prosecutors to drop an eight-year-old
corruption case that had tainted his reputation.
Supporters in Johannesburg whooped and blared horns as Zuma, dressed in
a red polo shirt and leather jacket, used a speech peppered with his
native Zulu to play up the party’s grassroots links and capitalise on
his populist appeal.
"I’m here to celebrate. We won the election fair and square. It was my
first time to vote and I’m very excited," said Veronica Moleme, as some
supporters carried fake coffins bearing the pictures of opposition
leaders.
Some foreign investors are less enthusiastic about Zuma, and he will
need to reassure those who fear trade union allies will push him to the
left at a time the continent’s biggest economy could already be in
recession for the first time in 17 years.
"One of the biggest challenges facing the ANC will be that posed by the
global recession," said Steven Friedman, Director at the Centre for the
Study of Democracy.
"In order to deal with the impact of the recession they will have to be
a more effective government than the ANC has been in the past."
The Rand firmed slightly early on Thursday after the smooth election, but later gave up the gains.
Zuma has repeatedly said there will be no nasty surprises in store for
investors and his room for policy manoeuvre is limited because of the
global downturn. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, a market favourite, is
expected to stay for now.
Zuma has also pledged to tackle rampant violent crime which could mar next year’s hosting of the soccer World Cup.
Election officials estimated the turnout at 76 percent, the same as
2004. Police said the election was largely peaceful, although COPE said
one of its officials was shot dead in what it believed to be a
political killing.
Reuters
Post published in: News